Lateral-discharge excavator.



F E. BAGER.

LATERAL DISCHARGE EXCAVATOR.

APPLICATlON FILED ocr. 5. I914..

1,290,871. Patented Jan. 14,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

F. E. BAGER.

LATERAL DISCHARGE EXCAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5. 1914.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- F. E. BAGER.

LATERAL DISCHARGE EXCAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-5.1914.

we a b v w w Mg W .W W w n n v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FBEDEBIC E. BAGER, OF WINTHROP HARBOR, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 FREDERICK G.

AUSTIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LATERAL-DISCHARGE EXCAVATOR.

Application filed October 5, 1914. Serial No. 864,994.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, FREDERIC E. BAGER, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Winthrop Harbor, Lake county, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lateral-Discharge Excavators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to excavating-machines of that kind in which a conveyer is employed forv discharging the excavated dirt at one side of the machine body.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement whereby the said conveyer may be of any desired length, 'being supported on the ground a distance from the side of the machine, and being movable up and down relative to the machine body while traveling over uneven ground, as well as for the purpose of varying the distance of the discharge end of the conveyer above the ground, thus permitting the. formation of a spoil bank of either greater or less height, at some distance from the machine, and in accordance with the requirements and conditions of different cases.

It is also an object to provide certain'details and novel features of construction and combination tending to increase the general efiiciency of an excavator discharge conveyer of this particular character. p

To these and other useful ends my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of an excavator embodying the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the said excavator, showing the excavating apparatus removed for convenience of illustration, and

I 4-4 in Fig. 2'.

' support therefor to bring into view the receiving end of the discharge conveyer. Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine as in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section on line Figs. 5 to 13 inclusive are enlarged fragmentary views of various details of the conveyer frame and the frame of the traveling shown As thus illustrated, and referring more;

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an; 14, 1919, q

particularly to Fig. I of said drawings, the A excavating machine comprises a body A sup ported by rear caterpillars a and front-- wheels (1 said caterpillars being operated-'- from the engine a through the mediunrof any suitable power transmitting connection.

At its rear end the said body is provided with a transverse shaft B upon which is mounted the tilting beam 6 of the digging or excavating apparatus. A wheel 6 is supported for rotation at the lower end of said beam, being provided with side cutters b for shaping the sides of the ditch. Sprocket chains 6 travel around the said wheel, being spaced apart by the buckets b and-being driven by the shaft B through the medium of sprockets or other suitable devices. The said shaft B is connected to be driven by the engine a in any suitable or desired manner. When in operation, as shown in Fig. 1, the buckets b take up the dirt while traveling upward in the direction indicated by the arrow, and as the buckets pass around the shaft B the dirt is discharged into a hopper b of any suitable known or approved construction. A brace rod 6 is pivoted on the body frame at its lower end and provided at its upper end with a threaded portion which engages the sleeve 6" suitably mounted on the upper end of the beam 6, which rod 1) can be rotatedto effect the adjustment of the beam, in the well-known manner, by providing a suitable connection between the lower end of said rod and the'gearing b for producing the said rotation thereof; and in such case the said gearing can be connected with the engine a in any suitable manner, thus making 'it possible to quickly raise and lower the of the body. It will be seen that the frame C extends across the machine directly below the hopper b and that the pivotal connection 0 overhangs the side of the body frame a short distance. Troughin rollers c are mounted on the frames C and c to carry the conveyer belt 0*, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4, whereby the entire upper portion of the belt is caused to assume a trough-like formation in cross section to prevent the dirt from falling off before reaching the outer'end of the conveyer. The inner end of the said conveyer has a suitable sprocket connection a by which the conveyer belt is driven, it being understood that this sprocket belt is suitably connected with the engine previously mentioned. The support D for the said conveyer is provided with a horizontally disposed frame (1 which has its inner end pivoted to the body at al and which is provided at its outer end with a single supporting-wheel (Z arranged directly under the conveyer. At its outer end the said frame (Z is also provided with a pair of uprights (Z which embrace the conveyer and which are provided with holes d for engaging the bolts d on the conveyer frame; and

with this arrangement it will be seen that the conveyer can be raised and lowered on the support D, by transferring the bolts (1 from one hole d to another, thus varying the distance above the ground of the outer end of the conveyer. For this purpose, it will be understood that any suitable means can be provided for raising and lowering the conveyer. It will be seen that the pivotal point 0 is a greater distance from the body than the pivotal point d and with the construction and arrangement shown the relative positions of the frame (Z and uprights d does not necessarily change very much when the conveyer and its support D are raised and lowered together, or when the said wheel (1 travels over uneven ground, or when the said wheel travels upon ground either higher or lower than the ground upon which the body of the machine is traveling. In order, however, that no straining of the parts may take place when the conveyer is raised and lowered etc., the uprights d are preferably pivoted at their lower ends upon the cross bar d of the frame (Z, immediately outside of the wheel (Z and for this purpose the said bar is preferably provided with brackets d, and each said bracket is provided with a pivot (l for the lower end of the upright (Z and with this arrangement the angle between the frame d and the uprights d may change or vary as the conveyer and its support move up and down together, or when the said conveyer is adjusted to a higher or lower position on the said upright: To reduce the strain on the coriveyer and frame (1 while the machine is moving ahead, and to relieve the pivotal connections (Z and c from strain, a draft connection in the form of a brace E is secured at its rear-end to the frame d and has its forward end pivotally connected at e to the side of the body. With this arrangement the frame d is subject to the draft of the brace E, as the machine moves ahead; and it will be understood, of course, that the axis of the pivot e is preferably coincident with the axis of the pivot d whereby the conveyer structure is raised and lowered about this axis, and also about the axis provided by the pivot 0 these two axes being parallel and extending longitudinally of the machine body at the side thereof.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described.

What I claim as my invention is z- 1. A machine for cutting a trench and forming a spoil-bank at some distance therefrom, comprising a traveling body, a trenchcutter on the rear end of said body, means to operate said trench-cutter, means to slowly move the body forward during the operation of said trench-cutter, a lateral conveyer to carry the excavated dirt away from the machine to form the spoil-bank, while said cutter is operating and the machine is moving forward, a traveling support for said conveyer, arranged to travel on the ground between the spoil-bank and the side of the body, a pivotal connection on the body for said conveyer and support, so that said conveyer and support can rise and fall while traveling over uneven ground between the spoil-bank and the trench, the conveyer having pivotal motion on said support while traveling over uneven ground, and means on the body to operate said conveyer, whereby said trench-cutter and conveyer can operate while the machine is traveling forward or while standing still, said conveyer having an upright extending downward to said support, a pivot for the upper end of said upright, said support comprising a rigid frame provided with a supporting wheel and having means to pivotally support the lower end of said upright, to permit up and down movement of the conveyer in traveling over uneven ground, and said frame having its pivot located some distance below the pivot of the conveyer, so that said frame and conveyer have relative movement when they move up and down.

2. In combination, a traveling body, a transversely arranged and laterally projecting conveyer extending from one side of said body, excavating means arranged to discharge the dirt onto said conveyer, a pivot to support the conveyer on the traveling body, so that the conveyer can swing up and down, a wheel disposed a distance from the side of said traveling body and below said conveyer, a frame supported by said wheel at its outer end and pivoted at its lower end to the side of said traveling body, a pair of uprights disposed at opposite sides of said being disposed a distance below the pivot for conveyer, havng their lower ends pivoted on said conveyer. 10 the outer end of said frame, means to pivot Signed by me at Chicago, 111., this 19th the conveyer on said uprights, and for perday of September, 1914.

mitting adjustment of the conveyer up and FREDERIC E. BAGER. down on said uprights, the outer end of said Witnesses: conveyer extending some distance beyond H. W. CUDDING,

said Wheel, and the pivot for said frame Q. G. MAINLAND. 

